B$W
Note: the correct title of this article is ''b$w. ''The capitlization is due to technical restrictions. '' '''b$w' (pronounced "bee, ess, dub") and formerly known as b-Rabbit, is an American hip-hop artist, producer, and songwriter who is currently signed to indie record label BranFlakes Records. He was born and raised in East Wenatchee, WA. Since his debut in 2011, he has released three EPs including a collaborative effort with guitarist Sandra Bae and one studio album. On January 1, 2014, b$w announced his musical hiatus. Life and Career 1996-2010: Early life and beginnings Born Brandon Waugh on April 12, 1996 in Wenatchee, Washington, b$w was the fourth child in his family. He is of Scottish, English and German ancestry. Waugh had attended church with his family every Sunday since a young age. He gave his life to Christ at age 8 but would later renounce his Christian faith at age 11 before returning to the church at age 15. During his 8th grade year, b$w started rapping as B-Rabbit alongside his friend Steel Echo. The duo were known as Sons of Al Capone and would attempt to battle rap other students before Echo's boredom. 2011: Debut and The Perfect 2 Main article: b-Rabbit Presents: The Perfect 2 In May 2011, b$w officially debuted as a born-again Christian rapper under the name of b-Rabbit. He released his first song, "TV (Freestyle)," on July 31 which would later be announced as one of the songs off his self-titled extended play. On September 11, 2011, b$w announced on Facebook that he was working on two songs that would be released prior to the year's end; the first of which debuted four days later on the 15th. On September 25th he released a two-song extended play entitled b-Rabbit Presents: The Perfect 2 which featured a remix of the song "Perfect Two" by Auburn and a freestyle over the same song's instrumental. The record was released on November 1, 2011 featuring slightly better audio and different lyrics. 2012: The b-Rabbit EP, Music Lab, and non-album endeavors Main articles: The b-Rabbit EP and Music Lab On August 1, 2011, b$w announced a self-titled extended play that would be released in 2012. Recording began on October 8th and was originally planned to feature eight songs. The official track list was released on October 26 with the cover art revealed four days later. The EP was released on April 4, 2012. Shortly after releasing The b-Rabbit EP, bSw reunited with Steel Echo to form a new rap group called SideShow Freakz. The group consisted of Steel Ju66alo (formerally Steel Echo), Dr. Wicked (bSw), and new member The Bloody Suit. The trio recorded but never released a single song entitled "Hatchet House." On June 9, 2012, b$w released an EP of original instrumentals titled Music Lab. 2013: Trials & Tribulations Main article: Trials & Tribulations Shortly after releasing The b-Rabbit EP, a sequel album entitled The b-Rabbit LP was announced for a December 2012 release. During the writing for the new album, many personal issues began striking b$w including the death of his grandmother which eventually inspired him to turn the album from a Christian record to a pure hip-hop album. Suffering from depression, b$w began writing more emotionally charged lyrics and officially announced the album's new title, Trials & Tribulations, on December 31, 2012 and released the first single on January 19, 2013. The album was preceded by four singles: "Broken Hearts (Album Version)" (January 19, 2013), "Story of a Lonely Guy" (April 13, 2013), "#PRAYforBOSTON" (June 26, 2013), and "Victoria (Dear. Daddy)" (October 26, 2013). The album was followed up with a fifth single, "Love / Hate" on December 24, 2013. The album was intially released as two five-song EPs on November 19 and December 3 before the full album (including bonus tracks) was released on December 7. 2014-present: Indefinite hiatus and possible comeback On January 1, 2014, b$w announced on Facebook that he would be entering into an indefinite hiatus from music so he could focus on his education. The announcement came less than a month after the release of his 2013 album'' Trials & Tribulations. In the announcement, b$w teased a future comeback by saying that he hopes to see his fans again soon which quickly led some to assume that he would return to music after finishing school. He graduated from Eastmont High School in June 2015 leading some to believe that a new b$w album could be released by late 2015 or early 2016. In June 2015 b$w teased an imminent comeback with a Facebook post simply reading "I hear y'all. Who wants to party?" On June 21, b$w released the song "Live Life" without any real warning making this his first release since 2013's ''Trials & Tribulations. It remains unknown if he is officially ending his hiatus or not though. As of August 2015, he is enrolled at Washington State University without any immediate plans to release new music. On February 28, 2018, b$w announced new music on Facebook that will be released on Soundcloud at 10am on March 2. It is unclear if he is releasing a single or a new album. Artistry Influences and rapping technique b$w has named several MCs who influenced his rapping style, including Macklemore, Eminem, Beastie Boys, and G-Dragon. His style of hip-hop is unique to him as it combines spoken word with slow rapping style. LGBT Advocacy Growing up, b$w was constantly accused of being homosexual although he has always denied it. "Just because I can cook or I actually have feelings doesn't mean I'm gay...it means I'm a human being" he once posted on his personal Facebook page. Despite not being homosexual, b$w is a proud supporter of the LGBT movement. He has even rapped about this support in two different songs: Personal Life Currently b$w lives in Pullman, Washington where he is studying at Washington State University. Discography Main articles: b-Rabbit discography ''and ''b-Rabbit production discography '' Studio Albums *Trials & Tribulations — December 7, 2013 Extended Plays *b-Rabbit Presents: The Perfect 2 —'' September 25, 2011 *''The b-Rabbit EP — ''April 4, 2012 *''Music Lab — ''June 9, 2012 Collaborative Projects *''An Acoustic Christmas (With Sandra Bae) —''' '''''December 21, 2012 External Links *Official Website *Official Facebook *Official ReverbNation *Official Twitter *Official YouTube Channel *Official SoundCloud Category:American hip hop groups Category:American rappers Category:1996 births